House

Loyalty

"We're supposed to practise the Cruciatus Curse on people who've earned detentions... I refused to do it. Some people are into it, though; Crabbe and Goyle love it. First time they've ever been top in anything, I expect."

Goyle, along with fellow Slytherin Vincent Crabbe, seemed to already be best friends with Draco Malfoy before their first year at Hogwarts. Both wizards were shown to be more lackeys than friends, often following Malfoy around and doing his bidding.

Hogwarts years (1991-1998)

First year

Goyle started his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991. He, Draco, and Crabbe met Harry Potter and offered him acceptance into their clan. Harry rejected this offer and left Draco Malfoy, the leader of the group, confused as to why he would choose to be friends with Ronald Weasley instead. After being rejected, Goyle attempted to steal some of Harry and Ron's treats from the food trolley and he ended up getting bitten by Ron's pet rat, Scabbers.[3]

When he arrived at Hogwarts, he was Sorted into the House of Slytherin with his friends Draco Malfoy and Vincent Crabbe. Throughout the year, Goyle was mean to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley and at the end of the year final exam results were to be given out and Harry Potter (who disliked Goyle) hoped that he was as stupid as he was mean and would fail his exams. However, Goyle just managed to scrape through them and passed his first year of education.[3]

Second year

"Ooh, you look much tastier than Crabbe and Goyle, Harry. Oh, you know what I mean — Goyle's Potion looked like bogies."

In his second year of education, the Chamber of Secrets was opened for the second time, having opened 50 years previously when Tom Riddle was in education. There was suspicion amongst the students as to who the Chamber was referring to when messages regarding an "Heir of Slytherin" were written on walls in blood. Some speculated that it was Harry Potter, others Draco Malfoy.[4]

Harry, Ron, and Hermione wanted to get more information and decided to brew Polyjuice Potion so that they could take the forms of Goyle, Crabbe, and Millicent Bulstrode and question Draco. When attempting to steal items from Severus Snape's store room for the Polyjuice Potion, Hermione Granger needed a distraction and Harry threw a firecracker into Goyle's Swelling Solution.[4]

Over the Christmas holidays, the Polyjuice potion was finally completed and the three needed to get some of their designated pupils' DNA in order to make a transformation. Hermione had already gotten hairs from Millicent Bulstrode's robes during a violent Duelling Club practise; however she did not know that these hairs belonged to her cat. Harry and Ron still needed to get some hairs of Crabbe and Goyle and put Sleeping Draught into some cakes that Goyle and Crabbe would later eat and fall asleep. Once they fell asleep Ron and Harry managed to acquire their hair, Goyle's hair turned the polyjuice potion a khaki colour when it was added.[4]

Third year

On the way to Hogwarts for his third year of education, Goyle, along with his friends, stepped into Harry Potter's compartment to bully him. However, they could not act on their wishes as new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin was in the compartment sleeping and they left. Early in the school year it was quite clear that the Dementors guarding Hogwarts from Sirius Black were feared by Harry and during a Quidditch match, Goyle and his friends put their cloaks up and pretended to be Dementors in an attempt to scare Harry, which it did and Harry cast a corporal Patronus charm in response. This plot led Goyle and his friends to be caught by an angry McGonagall, who gave them all detention.[5]

Goyle was later humiliated when Harry (under his invisibility cloak) defended his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley by throwing snowballs at him and pulling down his trousers. Goyle's attempts to scare Harry later in the year were foiled as he had too much protection from students and staff.[5]

Fourth year

The result of Draco and Harry's duel outside of Potions Class, after having teased Harry

Fifth year

In his fifth year, Goyle became Beater for the Slytherin Quidditch team. This supported Angelina Johnson's belief that the team went for brawn rather than brains.[7]

After Harry caused the arrest of Crabbe and Malfoy's fathers, Goyle followed his vengeful friends on an attempt to ambush him on the Hogwarts Express, but were jinxed so thoroughly by members of the D.A. that they were transfigured into large slugs. A similar event occurred at the end of the previous year, when Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George all used different hexes on them on the train.[7]

Sixth year

During the 1996–1997 school year, Malfoy had Goyle and Crabbe turn into girls via Polyjuice Potion to be able to guard the Room of Requirement while Malfoy was repairing the Vanishing Cabinet inside. Goyle was transformed into a little girl who held a pair of scales, which he was to drop noisily any time someone went past. During one of his watches, Harry frightened off Goyle, and waited unsuccessfully for Malfoy to exit. Goyle and Crabbe failed their Defence Against the Dark ArtsOrdinary Wizarding Level and had to redo their fifth year, in which they could not produce much positive works, thus causing Professor Snape to put them into detention.[8]

At the end of the school year, Goyle and Crabbe were left looking lonely after Malfoy left the school just before the end of the term.[8]

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Goyle, Crabbe, and Malfoy did not flee with the other Slytherins; instead, they tried to ambush Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley in the Room of Requirement. In the ensuing fight, Goyle was less aggressive than Crabbe, who defied Draco's orders and tried multiple Dark curses. Goyle was Disarmed by Harry and then Stunned by Hermione. When Crabbe's cursed fire got out of control, Goyle was saved by Ron and Hermione, who flew him out on their broom while Harry saved Draco. Crabbe was engulfed by the flames and killed. Harry and his friends then left Draco and Goyle to mourn Crabbe.[9]

Gregory in his third year

Later life (Post 1998)

Very little is known of what happened to Goyle after the Second Wizarding War or his later life. His friendship with Draco apparently ended sometime after they completed school.

In 2020, while talking with Harry at the Ministry of Magic, Draco revealed that he was always jealous about Harry having Ron and Hermione as friends while he had Goyle and Crabbe.[10]

Physical appearance

Goyle is described as having large feet, small dull eyes, long gorilla arms, short, bristly hair low on his forehead, and broad shoulders. He and Crabbe were described as "silent, hulking bodyguards". He also has a scar on one of his knuckles after being bitten by Scabbers.

Personality and traits

Goyle was generally less intelligent than Crabbe, always causing trouble and nearly failing his exams in his first year. He was unable to give Dolores Umbridge a simple answer after being questioned about Rubeus Hagrid's lessons, only being able to grin foolishly. In his fifth year Goyle (along with Crabbe) failed his Defence Against the Dark ArtsO.W.L..

Goyle seemed to lack intelligence, magical talent, and independent thought, thus used only his size and strength to bully other students or scare off anyone who threatened Malfoy. Goyle was also sadistic and had no qualms about using the Cruciatus Curse on fellow students. However, while he did poorly in Defence Against the Dark Arts, he excelled in the actual Dark Arts class, being top of the class due to his sadistic tendency to use fellow students as practise subjects for curses.

Relationships

Draco Malfoy

Goyle often followed Malfoy around. Simply put, he was nothing more than his lackey. However, Draco showed concern for him sometimes; he immediately reported Goyle's injury to Snape in their fourth year. When Crabbe's Fiendfyre destroyed the Room of Requirement, Draco went out of his way to save Goyle from the flames, dragging him to safety.

Vincent Crabbe

Vincent Crabbe was another of Malfoy's lackeys, and as such Crabbe and Goyle were best friends, wandering around and doing just about everything together. However, Crabbe was more intelligent and favoured by Malfoy because of this.

Blaise Zabini

Despite both being in Slytherin, Goyle and Blaise were not very close. When Blaise was knocked onto Goyle's lap, they snarled at each other and Goyle brutally flung Blaise off himself.

The trio

Harry, Ron, and Hermione disliked Goyle greatly. He was also one of their four most disliked people at Hogwarts, even going as far as expressing their hope that Goyle might fail his exams in his first year and be forced to leave the school. However, Ron and Hermione did assist Draco in saving Goyle's life during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Etymology

The name Gregory is derived from Greek meaning "watchful, alert". It is also associated with the Grigori, "the Watchers", a group of fallen angels who mated with mortal women to spawn a race of giants. This may allude to Goyle frequently acting like a bodyguard to Draco Malfoy and to his large frame.

His last name is probably from "gargoyle," small monsters used to decorate buildings. The Gargouille also was a legendary water monster living in the River Seine in Paris, France. Gargoyles served as gutters/downspouts on gothic buildings. The word Gargoyle is derived from the French gargouille and the Latin gargula which translate to throat in contemporary English. Related words include gargle and gurgle.

Interestingly, gargoyles' supposed jobs are to watch over the building they are perched on. They are portrayed as grim and monstrous characters.

Goyle falls to his death in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Goyle takes the place of Crabbe, who was written out due to drug charges against Jamie Waylett. Goyle dies in Crabbe's place; when Goyle (mirroring Crabbe in the book) tries to kill Hermione with the Killing Curse, Ron chases after him, and Goyle casts Fiendfyre in an attempt to kill him, after which (Goyle) attempts to climb to safety with Malfoy and Blaise Zabini (who plays roughly the same role as Goyle does in the book), but grabs onto a loose chair and falls into the fire. Also, at the beginning of the scene, when Harry asks Malfoy to turn back from Voldemort, Goyle insists that he stay on Voldemort's side. In addition, it is not Goyle who destroys the diadem, but Harry, who stabs it with a Basilisk Fang before Ron kicks it into the fire.[12]